Portonovo bay and the Regional Natural Park of Mount Conero

The well-known tourist destination of Portonovo bay is plunged in a wonderful landscape of unspoiled nature and stretches inside the Regional Natural Park of Mount Conero, within a natural environment still untouched, where the Mediterranean scrub touches the clear waters of the sea. This stretch of land, formed after a landslide fallen from the mountain at Pian Grande in a remote time, always shines thanks to its white pebbles made of Conero limestone rock continuously smoothed by the waves. Two brackish water little lakes, rich in legends, add to the unique environment, transformed into a natural reserve. The lovely little church of Santa Maria is a masterpiece of Romanesque art of the XI century to be absolutely visited at Portonovo. On the beach, where Turkish pirates often landed and plundered, stand the De Bosis Tower, built in the 1716 by Pope Clemens XI of the family Albani to defend the coast from piracy and the Napoleonic Fort, a former military rampart now transformed into a hotel.

The Regional Natural Park of Mount Conero includes a stretch of high coast and a wide inland hill zone with beautiful landscapes and a rich history, for a total area of about 6000 hectares shared among the municipalities of Ancona, Camerano, Sirolo and Numana. Along the coast some coves, covered with white limestone pebbles from Mount Conero, are only reachable on foot or from the sea. The Regional Park, created in 1987 to protect the varied flora, fauna and cultural treasures of the area, boasts many botanical peculiarities and has become an interesting destination for natural walking, bike riding and for bird watching.